Before signing with the Phoenix Suns, Li Fei had already settled the matter of his agent.
Several days earlier, Li Fei had received self-recommendations from all kinds of agents. The agent business cards he brought back every day were like the flyers wedged into his car door—promising good service, no strings attached, cheap and effective.
Li Fei passed on all the riffraff and chose one of the most influential agents in NBA history.
[David Falk]
He stood at the very pinnacle of NBA agents. His track record was filled with one classic case after another!
His most famous client was undoubtedly Michael Jordan!
In 1988, he helped Jordan renew with the Bulls on an eight-year deal worth roughly $25 million, making him one of the highest-paid players in the NBA at the time.
Later, Jordan secured a one-year, $30 million contract in 1997 that shocked the world and also spurred the league to introduce a new collective bargaining agreement that year.
He was not only Jordan's agent, but also a key force behind his business empire. In 1984, he helped Jordan sign a five-year, $2.5 million endorsement deal with Nike and facilitated the birth of the Air Jordan brand. This partnership not only brought Jordan enormous earnings, but completely changed the landscape of sports marketing and created the sneaker culture that swept the world.
McDonald's, Gatorade, and Coca-Cola—those three major brands were also massive endorsements David Falk secured for Jordan, expanding Jordan's commercial empire.
In addition, Falk leveraged Ewing's market value and importance to the Knicks to successfully persuade New York's management to sign him to a 12-year, $65 million "lifetime contract."
One had to know that Pippen's salary at the time was only $2 million—equivalent to "three Pippens." The craziest part was that Ewing would already be forty-two in